When he took the reins of AS Saint-Étienne in October 2019, Claude Puel knew the extent of the Saint-Étienne site. “The project in Saint-Étienne is very difficult. Beyond the athlete, there is a large margin of progress on the structures of the club. Our financial standing is zero. The club was going into the wall. Saint-Étienne has made enormous financial efforts by taking a direction that is no longer possible to honor. I choose difficult situations because adversity feeds me. ”
Two years later, the coach of the Greens is far from having taken up the challenge. Still faced with the club’s enormous financial problems (only one recruit this summer), the technician is embarked on a very negative spiral. In eight Ligue 1 matches, ASSE have drawn three and have just scored a fifth straight loss after a slap in the face at Geoffroy-Guichard by Nice (0-3). What put Puel in a very uncomfortable situation.
Because today, Puel is no longer popular in Forez. “The audience that asked for my departure?” That’s how it is, I’ve already experienced this kind of situation. My duty is to protect the interests of my team. Unlike the two previous matches, we missed out, we are fragile, we have to look after our heads “, indicated the person concerned at the end of the match, well on the way not to resign (his contract runs until 2022).
Puel will play his head in the derby
Shunned by the public, Puel is also behind the scenes. According to The team, he is no longer in the books of Roland Romeyer and his relationship with his group is not in good shape. Puel would have become angry with Denis Bouanga at half-time in the match against Nice. And after the match, while the Foréziens supporters demanded an explanation, the coach let the group go to the fire, preferring to return to the locker room while the fans demanded his presence.
The weather has been very bad for Claude Puel, especially as the daily explains that his place could be at stake in the event of a bad result next weekend during the derby against Olympique Lyonnais. And no doubt that if the Gones know that they have the possibility of putting the Saint-Etienne rival lower than earth, they will not deprive themselves of it.